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When most people think of fine haute-horlogerie, they think of Switzerland. Rightly so, considering that Switzerland has some of the finest brands in the industry and the vast majority of modern watchmaking talent resides there. There is, however, an exception to this trend – in the Saxon countryside of Germany lies the city of Glashutte, a tiny town that has become the hub of German watchmaking. Here is where you will find the factory of A. Lange & Sohne, one of the best timepiece manufactures located outside of Switzerland.

For centuries the pursuit of accuracy and stable rate in clocks and watches has been the driving force behind innovation and quality. The pursuit of accuracy is a cause that has significant trickle-down effects to even the least expensive mechanical watches, much moreso than the pursuit of ever-more complicated pieces. Where a highly complex watch is a bold and visible display of watchmaking prowess, the pursuit of absolute precision is the application of immense skill that often goes unnoticed by the consumer. The chronometer is a finely crafted mechanical watch that exhibits the highest degree of accuracy possible, with official certification to declare it as such. Outside of high-complications, the building of chronometers is one of the top tiers of watchmaking.

So far in the Watches in Depth series I’ve given coverage to the most important and most popular forms of complication – chronographs, tourbillons, calendars, and repeaters. These complications are well served in the current market. What about the odd complications, the one offs, the rarities that never became widespread? This feature is to highlight the forgotten complications that are often overlooked and under served in the modern market.